Meg-A-Readers Blog Hop! Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot

**1/2

Today we are happy to be participating (in our second stop) on the Meg-A-Readers Blog Hop hosted by Mandy @The Romance Bookie and Diana @Little Miss Drama Queen!  Thanks ladies for hosting this fantastic Hop!  For our first stop I gushed over Meg and spoke of my love for her, but just to show I am not blinded by her awesomeness, I give you my review of Queen of Babble.

From Author's Website (www.megcabot.com):

Big mouth. Big heart.
Big problems.

Lizzie Nichols has a problem, and it isn’t that she doesn’t have the slightest idea what she’s going to do with her life, or that she’s blowing her college graduation money on a trip to visit her long-distance boyfriend (of three months) Andrew, instead of using it as the down payment for the cute little Manhattan apartment everyone is expecting her to rent after finding a well-paying job in the city.

Where she’s going to live and how she’s going to support herself in the fall are really the least of Lizzie’s problems right now. Not when she’s got to deal with the fact that she’s done it again. See, Lizzie can’t keep her mouth shut. It’s not just that she can’t keep a secret—she can’t keep anything to herself.

But this time when she opens her big mouth, her good intentions get Andrew in major hot water. Now Lizzie’s stuck in London with no boyfriend and no place to stay until the departure date written on her non-changeable airline ticket.

What’s an American girl with a big mouth—but an equally big heart—to do?

Fortunately there’s Shari, Lizzie’s best friend and college roommate, who’s spending her summer in the south of France, catering weddings with her boyfriend Chaz in a sixteenth century chateau. One call to Shari, and Lizzie’s on a train to Paris. Who cares if Lizzie’s never traveled alone before in her life, and speaks only rudimentary French? One glimpse of gorgeous Chateau Mirac—not to mention gorgeous Luke, Chateau Mirac’s owner—and she’s smitten…

But while most caterers can be trusted to keep a secret, Lizzie’s the exception. And no sooner has the first cork been popped than Luke seems to hate her, the bride is in tears, and it looks like Chateau Mirac is in danger of becoming a lipo-recovery spa. As if things aren’t bad enough, ex-boyfriend Andy shows up looking for closure (or at least a loan), threatening to ruin everything, especially Lizzie’s chance at ever finding real love…

…unless she can figure out a way to use that big mouth of hers to save the day.

I admit, this book (and the series as a whole) was a miss with me.  I read them all, because, well, it's Meg Cabot, but I just could not get into these characters.  They are all pretty lousy people, even Lizzie.  Some of Lizzie's babble is truly funny, especially when she first meets Luke, but after a while I was ready for the babble to stop.  I did not hate the series, but if you are looking to read Meg Cabot, I would recommend that you by-pass Queen of Babble and go straight to the Heather Wells Series, the Boy Series, Avalon High, Abandon or really any other books by Meg Cabot (sorry Meg!).

~Shel 

Size 12 & Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot

****

From HarperCollins:

Summer break . . . and the livin' ain't easy!

Just because the students at New York College have flown the coop doesn't mean assistant residence hall director Heather Wells can relax. Fischer Hall is busier than ever, filled with squealing thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls attending the first ever Tania Trace Teen Rock Camp, hosted by pop sensation Tania Trace herself—who just happens to be newly married to Heather's ex-boyfriend, heartthrob Jordan Cartwright. But the real headache begins when the producer of a reality TV show starring Tania winds up dead . . . and it's clear that the star was the intended victim.

Grant Cartwright, head of Cartwright Records, wants to keep his daughter-in-law (and his highest-earning performer) alive. So he hires his oldest son, black sheep of the family and private investigator Cooper Cartwright—who just happens to be Heather's new fiancé. Heather should leave the detecting to Cooper. But with a dorm full of hysterical mini-divas-in-training, she can't help but get involved. And after Tania shares a really shocking secret with her, this reality suddenly becomes more dangerously real than anyone ever anticipated.

We first met Heather Wells, former teen pop-sensation in Size 12 is Not Fat in 2005.  In 2006, Heather continued her sleuthing in Size 14 is Not Fat Either.  2007 brought us the third Heather adventure in Big Boned.  We then suffered a long draught for FIVE LONG YEARS.  Coming July 10, 2012, Heather returns in Size 12 & Ready to Rock!  This time, Heather is forced to protect Tania Trace, the girl that replaced her, not only as a pop-sensation, but also as Jordan Cartwright's girlfriend.

The Bad -  The long FIVE YEAR WAIT!  I have no patience to wait even a year for an anticipated book, so the five years I had to wait for the new Heather Wells mystery was pure torture.  As for the book itself, I was disappointed that we did not get to spend more time with Heather's hilarious cast of supporting characters.  We get cameos from most of the favorites, but not enough "screen" time in my opinion.  Size 12 & Ready to Rock is a much more internal journey for Heather, as opposed to the snooping, trouble seeking Heather of the previous three books, which isn't really bad, it's just that Heather is so hilarious when she is stumbling through an investigation - I missed it in this book.

The Good - Meg. Cabot.  Need I say more?  Yes?  Ok, Size 12 & Ready to Rock is classic Meg Cabot - funny and thoroughly entertaining with just a touch of mystery and intrigue.  Fans of Janet Evanovich, Jill Shalvis, Sophie Kinsella or the like, will love Size 12 & Ready to Rock.  If you are unfamiliar with the Heather Wells Series, I highly suggest you start with Size 12 is Not Fat and work your way through the series for optimal enjoyment. 

It's my understanding that there will be at least one more in the Heather Wells series, hopefully next year! 

~Shel

Meg-A Readers Blog Hop - Why I Love Meg Cabot

We are thrilled to be participating in the Meg-A Readers Blog Hop hosted by Mandy @ The Romance Bookie and Diana @ Little Miss Drama Queen.  When I first saw Meg's blog post about the Hop, I had to sign us up. 

My first Meg Cabot book was the first in the Boy Series, The Boy Next Door.



The book is told entirely in emails and notes - it is fascinating and I bugged all my friends to read it. 








The second in the series, Boy Meets Girl, was equally fantastic.








The last in the Boy Series, Every Boy's Got One takes a trip to Italy and made me want to vacation there so badly!

Since discovering The Boy Next Door, about 10 years ago (oh my, I feel old!), I have read nearly everything that Meg Cabot has written.  She ranks as one of my top five authors of all time.  Last spring, with the release of Abandon, Meg did a signing in my town, Naperville, Illinois (actually the signing actually took place Bel and my Alma Mater, North Central College) through the fabulous independent bookstore, Anderson's Bookshop.  This was before we started BiblioJunkies and I convinced Nat to join me at the signing (which also included Nat's girl-crush Maggie Stiefvater and Libba Bray). 

I fully anticipated that I would be all fan-girl when I met Meg, but luckily I held it together.  Meg Cabot is just as funny and charismatic in person as she is as an author.  Plus, she was super nice when she signed my copy of Size 12 is Not Fat! 

While the Boy Series will always hold a special place in my heart for introducing me to Meg, I believe my favorite of her adult books have to be the Heather Wells Series (Size 12 is Not Fat, Size 14 is Not Fat Either, Big Boned and the much anticipated Size 12 & Ready to Rock).  I think my favorite of her young adult books is Avalon High - I just love the premise of a modern day Camelot complete with Arthur, Gwen, Lance, etc. 

I think what I love most about Meg's books (besides the humor and pop-culture references) is that Meg writes about strong and quirky women.  They may be a little neurotic and crazy, but their main commonality is always that they are rock-solid, strong and capable - from solving murders, to running countries to bringing forth King Arthur and now going toe-to-toe with Hades.  Meg's young adult and children's books (Allie Finkle) show young girls that it is ok to be just who you are, unapologetically.  Being a strong, quirky woman and the aunt of more than a couple girls, I find it comforting to know that there are authors writing characters I can happily recommend to my neices. 

For this and for the many, many hours of entertainment she has provided me, I am thankful to Meg Cabot. 

~Shel

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Pierce Oliviera died.  No really, she drown in her family's pool while trying to save a bird.  While in the Underworld she runs into John, a young man she met when she was 7 years old in the cemetery after her grandfather's funeral.  She rushes to John hoping he can help her, as he did when she was young and gets much more than she bargained for.  Scared and confused, Pierce escapes the Underworld.  Abandon takes place a year and a half after Pierce died.  In a series of flashbacks, Pierce tells us how she came to be on Isla Huesos (an island off the coast of Florida where her mother grew up & her mother's family still lives).  Pierce is trying to come to terms with her death, her new life, the terrible things that seem to follow her now and John's involvement in these terrible things. 

Abandon brings together two things I adore, Meg Cabot and Greek mythology.  I have read nearly all of Meg Cabot's books. I even met her with Maggie Stiefvater and Libba Bray at a recent This Is Teen event (my copy of Size 12 is Not Fat now sports her autograph!).  I equate Ms. Cabot with the quirky, funny, pop culture worshiping books like the Heather Wells Series, The Boy Series, or the Princess Diaries.  Abandon has a much different tone and voice than Ms. Cabot's other works.  In fact, the book was much darker than I was expecting and I was mesmerized.  Telling the story in flashbacks kept me constantly guessing what had happened to bring Pierce to this place in life and where the story would go. 

This is a unique perspective on the story of Hades & Persephone.  The Furies got a whole new purpose and identity.  I had a little problem with Pierce's anger towards John in the beginning of the book as it seemed a little disproportionate to his "crimes", but as Nat and Bel always tell me, she is a teenager, so that was easy to get over to enjoy the book.  Of course, Abandon is the first in a trilogy; therefore, the ending left me feeling... unfinished.  And so begins the torture of waiting until next summer for the next installment - - Why must you torture me so Meg, why?!  I might forgive you for this punishment if you announce a (hopefully soon) release date for Heather Wells Book 4!

~ Shel

A retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone.